Research methods

Starter This is Jeremy and Marcus and they are members of the Conservative party. I would like to find out about their political beliefs and what inspired them to join the Tories. How could I get this information?

Questionnaires Define questionnaire? What type of questions are used to make up a questionnaire? Give an example of each type How do questionnaires differ from an interview? What is a strength of a questionnaire? What is a weakness of a questionnaire?

1.Define questionnaire? self report method where participants (respondents) are presented with a set of prepared written questions. 2. What type of questions are used to make up a questionnaire? Open and closed questions 3. Give an example of each type Open question: Describe in detail what you think a psychopath would look like Closed question: Do you like chocolate?

4. How do questionnaires differ from an interview? With questionnaires there is no need for face to face contact. In interviews it is usually done face to face with one participant and one researcher. Unlike questionnaires they are verbal answers rather than written answers. The researcher can write down the responses or record the interview. 5. What is a strength of a questionnaire? Cost effective – gather large amounts of data quickly because they can be distributed to large groups of people. They can be completed without the researcher present. 6. What is a weakness of a questionnaire? Social desirability. Respondents may show response bias where they respond in a particular way (always ticking ‘yes’)

Type of Questions Description Example Strength Weakness Closed questions Fixed number of responses or participants asked to rate using a Likert scale. Produce numerical (quantitative data) Have a limited range of answers and produce quantitative data. Easy to analyse using graphs Respondents may be forced to select answers that don’t represent their true thoughts or behaviour, therefore the data collected may lack validity Open questions Do not have a fixed range of answers. Respondents free to answer in the way they wish (collect qualitative data) Respondents can expand on their answers, which increases the amount of detail of information collected Researchers can gain new insight into peoples feelings and attitudes More difficult to summarise/detect patters to draw conclusions Open to researcher bias

Features of a good questionnaire Clarity - Clear questions that are easy to understand for respondent (reader) Bias - Questions do not lead respondents to give a particular answer (e.g. ‘don’t you think violent films make children more aggressive?’) Assumptions - Avoids making assumptions about respondents, e.g. about sexuality Non-intrusive - Avoids questions that are too personal. Checked - Questionnaire is piloted to make sure questions are understood and interpreted correct

Type of interview Description Example Strength Weakness Structured This method has specific questions that are asked to each participant. The interview will be like a questionnaire but delivered face to face. No deviations from the questions Can be easily repeated as it is standardized for each participant. This makes it easier to compare answers and analyse. Although similar to a questionnaire there can be interviewer bias. This is because the interviewer may act differently. Unstructured Does not have predetermined questions. New questions are developed over the course of the interview The interviewer may ask a participant to discuss their feelings about education. Offers more detailed information about a topic. This is because the interviewer tailors the questions to the specific answers given These take skill and training. The interviewer will need more skill to produce effective questioning during the interview. The questions act lack objectivity. Types of Interviews

Designing interviews A good interview will involve:-   An interview schedule A list of questions the interviewer intends to cover. This should be standardised for each interviewee to reduce interviewer bias. Recording The interviewer may take notes throughout the interview (although this may interfere with listening skills). Alternatively, the interview may be audio recorded of videoed. Effect of interviewer One of the strengths of interviews over questionnaires is that the presence of the interviewer who is interested in the interviewee may increase the amount of information provided, but the interviewer needs to be careful with their non-verbal communication – not sitting with arms folded for example. Behaviour needs to be welcoming and encouraging i.e head nodding & leaning forward. A further consideration for the interviewer is listening skills – an experienced interviewer will know when and how to speak, i.e not interrupting or using negative language. Ethical issues – Respondents should be reminded that their answers will be treated confidentially.

Design a study that will see if there is a relationship between exercise and positive mood. You should design two questionnaires. Both collecting quantitative data High score means more exercise High score means more positive Closed questions Develop a consent form, standardised instructions, debrief form, questionnaires. This should then be passed by me before collecting the data

Dates for Completion Create a consent form – to be checked 25th January. Create the two questionnaires – to be checked 1st February Collect your data from 10 participants – to be checked 8th February We will analyse the data on 8th February so it is essential that you have your data ready for this date.

Ethics We MUST carry studies out in an ethical way!!!!! Some of the studies that you will be looking at may seem a little extreme and psychologists must ask the question whether or not such studies should take place. This means that before any research can be carried out certain decisions about the morality of the study, its usefulness to society AND the competence of the people who are carrying out the research MUST be considered.

Concerns the question of right and wrong. BPS Concerns the question of right and wrong. May arise in research if there are conflicting values between the researcher and the participants. In the United Kingdom psychological research has to comply with the guidelines drawn up by the British Psychological Society. ‘Does the end justify the means?’

Key ethical guidelines Deception Debrief Right to Withdraw Informed Consent Protection from harm Confidentiality

Informed consent Informed Consent; have participants given informed consent? If the participant is under 16 years old, has informed consent been given by their parents or carers? means revealing the true aims of the study, or at least letting the participant know what is actually going to happen. Participants must be aware of what they are needed to do as part of the study in order to give valid consent If the study involves children parental consent must be obtained

Deception Deception: have the participants been deceived in any way? If so, could this have been avoided? Deceiving participants must be kept to a minimum Withholding details of the research to avoid influencing behaviour is acceptable, deliberately providing false information is not acceptable If telling the truth will not have an affect on results participants must be informed

Confidentiality and Anonymity The communication of personal information from one person to another and the trust this will be protected Psychologists need to be sure the information they publish will not allow their participants to be identified (keeping their identity secret may not be enough)

Debrief Debriefing: have the participants been debriefed? Have they been given the opportunity to ask questions? If consent cannot be obtained (such as in a field experiment) participants must be fully debriefed afterwards This involves telling the participant about the experiment and then giving them the option of withdrawing their information if they wish

Right to Withdraw Even after giving consent participants still have the right to leave the experiment at any point in time

Protection of participants Protection of participants: researcher must protect participants from both physical and psychological harm Participants should be no worse off when they leave an experiment as to when they arrived Risk is considered acceptable if it is no greater than what would be experienced in everyday life

Should there be ethical guidelines in research? Those that believe yes there should be stand up. Those that believe there should not be ethical guidelines stay sitting down

Identify the ethical issues in the below research proposal The ‘Sunshine Wellness Baby Centre’ would like to investigate whether women have a greater resistance to pain during labour than at the beginning of their pregnancy. They will approach women during their first midwife appointment and offer them 1000 to take part in the study. Women will need to attend a monthly appointment at the Baby Centre where they will receive an electric shock (beginning with 60v) and rate their pain level on a chart. The voltage will increase until the participant feels it would be too painful to continue.

Task: Create a debrief form Type up your two questionnaires Collect your data from 10 participants